How to Use a Food Allergy or Dietary Restriction Card in Japan

Why you may need a food card in Japan

Japan has allergen-labeling rules for prepackaged processed foods. Restaurants and businesses selling prepared food, however, are not required to provide the same allergen information.

What staff can tell you may vary by restaurant, dish, and staff member. Even when they want to help, they may need time to check with the kitchen.

A written food card makes it easier to show which ingredients you need to avoid or ask about.

Important: A food card helps with communication, but it does not confirm that a dish is safe or free from a specific ingredient.

When to show your food card

Show your card before you order, while staff still have time to check. If you have a severe allergy or need to avoid cross-contact, let staff know as early as possible—ideally before you are seated or as soon as you arrive.

For other dietary restrictions or ingredients you want to ask about, show the card before choosing a menu item.

1. 

   Show the card

   Keep the card open on your phone and show it clearly to a staff member.

2. 

   Let staff check

   Give staff time to read the card and check the ingredients, sauces, broth, and how the food is prepared with the kitchen.

3. 

   Wait for a clear response

   Use the point-to-reply section to make the answer easier to understand. Wait for a clear response before choosing a dish.

   Showing the card starts the conversation. It is not a response by itself.

What restaurant staff need to understand

A useful food card should give restaurant staff three things: why the ingredients matter, which ingredients to check, and how they can respond.

Why the ingredients matter

Choose wording that matches your situation:

• a severe allergy
• another food allergy
• an intolerance
• a religious, cultural, or dietary choice
• an ingredient you want to ask about
• a personal preference

These situations are different. Accurate wording helps staff understand whether they need to check an ingredient, how the food is prepared, or the risk of cross-contact.

Which ingredients to check

Avoid relying only on a broad label such as “vegetarian,” as it may be understood differently by different people. List the specific ingredients that matter to you, such as pork, seafood, fish-based dashi, animal-based broth, egg, dairy, or alcohol.

How staff can respond

Make the next step clear. For example, ask staff to:

• check the ingredients and how the food is prepared
• confirm whether a suitable dish can be served
• tell you if they cannot confirm
• point to a suitable menu item

Use wording that fits your situation

Your food card should describe your situation accurately, rather than simply using the strongest wording possible. Severe-allergy wording tells staff that even a small amount or cross-contact may be unsafe. An intolerance, dietary choice, ingredient question, or preference needs different wording.

A restaurant may say it cannot serve you if staff are unable to confirm the ingredients or how the food is prepared. This is not a failed interaction. A clear “can’t serve” answer is more helpful than an uncertain one.

If different ingredients matter for different reasons—for example, an allergy to one ingredient and a dietary choice involving another—using separate cards can make each request clearer.

Ingredients that may not be obvious

A dish may look suitable even when an ingredient you avoid is used in the broth, sauce, seasoning, or cooking process. Because these ingredients may not be visible in the finished dish, it can help to ask about them separately.

Recipes vary between restaurants, so do not assume that every dish with the same name contains the same ingredients.

Dashi and broth

Dashi is not a single ingredient. Depending on the recipe, it may be made from kombu or shiitake mushrooms, bonito flakes, mackerel, dried sardines, or a combination of plant and fish ingredients.

Broth or soup stock may also be made from chicken, pork, or other animal ingredients.

Dashi or broth can be used in noodle soup, miso soup, simmered vegetables, tofu dishes, sauces, and other foods where the ingredients may not be obvious.

Instead of asking only whether a dish contains dashi, ask what kind of dashi, broth, or soup stock is used.

Sauces and seasonings

An ingredient you avoid may be used in a sauce, dressing, marinade, or seasoning, even when it is not clear from the menu.

Depending on your needs, you may want staff to check:

• soy sauce or other seasonings, if you need to avoid wheat
• fish-based sauces or extracts
• mirin, sake, or other alcohol
• animal-based broth or fat
• premade sauces whose ingredients may need to be checked

Products and recipes vary. Some soy sauce contains wheat, but this is not true of every soy sauce product. Staff may need to check a product label, and they may not always be able to confirm every ingredient in a premade sauce.

Cooking oil and preparation

If cross-contact matters for your allergy, checking the listed ingredients may not be enough. You may also need to ask about shared frying oil, cookware, utensils, or preparation surfaces.

This is especially important for severe allergies. It does not need to be included in every dietary request, ingredient question, or personal preference.

Ask only about the ingredients and cooking methods that matter to you. A focused question such as “Does this contain animal-based broth or dashi?” is usually easier for staff to check than a broad question such as “Is this vegetarian?”

What a food card cannot guarantee

A food card can make your needs easier to understand, but it cannot check a recipe, guarantee that a dish is free from an ingredient, or prevent cross-contact in the kitchen.

Staff may need to check recipes, product labels, suppliers, and cooking methods. Ingredients can also change, and complete information may not always be available.

If the restaurant cannot confirm

If staff cannot confirm the ingredients or how the food is prepared, choose another dish or restaurant. A clear “can’t confirm” answer can help prevent a misunderstanding. It may simply mean that the restaurant does not have enough information—not that staff are unwilling to help.

For severe food allergies

If even a small amount or cross-contact could cause a reaction, a food card alone may not be enough. Clearly tell staff that your allergy is severe and that cross-contact matters. When possible, contact the restaurant before your visit.

Only you can decide whether the information provided is enough for your needs.